Treasury denies Healey plan to cut welfare bill before election, claiming his comments were misinterpreted – UK politics live
Asked earlier if there would be a cut to the welfare bill before the next election, the chancellor said: ‘There will be a reduction in the benefits bill’ Selling nicotine-free vapes to children under the age of 18 has become illegal from today, the government has said.
Key points
- Chancellor’s comments come as fiscal watchdog says disability benefits will cost £100bn a year before end of decade Business live – latest updates John Healey had said there will be a reduction in the welfare bill before the next election, with a “tough” approach to young people who do not accept support to get a job or training.
- But, under the Tobacco and Vapes Act, shops across the UK will now be banned from selling nicotine-free vapes, and nicotine pouches, to children.
- Vaping can be a way to help established adult smokers who are already addicted to nicotine from tobacco to swap to a less dangerous product.
The Treasury is disputing that the chancellor suggested to the BBC the benefits bill will be cut before the next election.
Additional details
- The long-term health harms of vaping in today’s children will only become….
- Some children have already come to harm from bad reactions to vapes.
- Children were already banned from buying vapes containing nicotine.
- Vapes should therefore never be used by children or non-smokers.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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Every article behind this summary — 3 articles from 3 outlets
The Guardian WorldOctober 29, 2026, 12:46 PM UTC →
BBC NewsOctober 29, 2026, 10:41 AM UTC →
The Guardian PoliticsOctober 29, 2026, 7:54 AM UTC →
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